Looking Out for Others: Allegory in "Aunty Misery"
Question 10 • FL-1001040-M/J Language Arts 2 B
Read the excerpt from "Aunty Misery.”The doctors claimed no one bothered to come in for examinations or treatments anymore, because they did not fear dying; the pharmacists' business suffered too because medicines are, like magic potions, bought to prevent or postpone the inevitable; priests and undertakers were unhappy with the situation also, for obvious reasons.What is the best explanation of the figurative language used in the underlined phrase?
Answer
A
Medicines are similar to magic potions because both are difficult and expensive to obtain.
B
Medicines can be compared to magic potions as a simile because both temporarily remove symptoms.
C
Medicines can be compared metaphorically to magic potions because both are used by doctors.
D
Medicines can be compared to magic potions because both contain examples of hyperbole.
Explanation
The phrase “like magic potions” uses a simile because it explicitly compares medicines to magic potions using “like.” In the passage, both are presented as things people use in hopes of delaying an illness or death. The comparison is not a metaphor, and it does not suggest that medicines are difficult or expensive to obtain.
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